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Facebook or Websites: The Great Debate

By now if you have read some of our blogs, you might have noticed that we think having a Facebook page and a website is vital to the success of your business. Yes, we may be biased, we are a digital marketing company after all, but the evidence proves that these tools really do make a difference in the success of your business. And here’s the deal, having just one of these is not going to cut it nowadays. The competition online is growing every single day. Falling behind can be detrimental to the success of your business.

Why Websites?

We polled an audience of Facebook users, asking whether they prefer to visit Facebook or a website when researching a local business. 54% indicated they’d rather visit a business’ website. And that’s from an audience of known Facebook users! Not having a website would has the potential to eliminate or alienate nearly half your audience of potential customers. Even if they do hear about you, they will have a difficult time finding you on the web. But the question is how does something as simple as a website provide so much value to so many people? There are dozens of reasons, let’s focus on just a few.

Search Engine Optimization

As you may already know, your business showing up on the first page of a Google or Bing search is an extremely important part of your web presence. Websites play a huge role in this. By “optimizing” your website, being found on Google, Bing or any other search engine becomes much easier. This is executed by using keywords or phrases in the content and information that is found on your website. This also includes any of your location or contact information that is found on the website.

If you don’t have a website at all, your chances of appearing in a Google or Bing search drastically decrease. Without a website with information the search engine can pull from, you will be relying on third party directories and other more obscure online resources where your business might have information.

The One Stop for Everything

Possibly the best reason to have a website is that it’s all about you and only you. On your website you get to have complete control of all the information, what type of image you’re trying to convey, and you can provide the optimal channels for your customer to contact you. Without a website it can be increasingly difficult for customers to know all of the products or services you may provide and whether your business best fits their needs. Even a thorough Facebook page cannot provide as in-depth information as a well-developed website.

Why Facebook?

The why is in the numbers— According to the Local Search Association, 72% of adult internet users utilize Facebook in some capacity and 70% of Facebook users log on daily. And with over a billion active users, there’s a lot of opportunity here. Facebook has the power to make you stand out among a crowded marketplace unlike any other social media or digital resource.

Content

Facebook is possibly the best channel to get valuable content to customers. By publishing articles or providing sales and informational posts, you’re reaching customers in a whole other way that’s not possible through your website or any other digital channel. Chances are if somebody has “liked” or “followed” your page, they’re already potential customers. You can provide additional value to these supporters by creating content with relevant information that could possibly encourage them to purchase your product or service. You even have the possibility that these supporters might share your posts to their friends which could attract brand new customers.

Reviews

You also have the ability to let customers leave reviews on your Facebook page. If you allow access to the review section of your page, all customers have to do is select the “Reviews” tab, click how many stars out of 5 they want to give, then they’re prompted to leave a comment before posting. This helps you to be more transparent with your customers and it can be free advertising for your business if the reviews are strong. These reviews are also important because they can help contribute to your business being listed higher on Google. Google will take businesses with more reviews and higher ratings and rank them higher than those businesses without reviews. This helps customers receive the highest quality of service when they are searching on Google. While reviews are not the only factor that leads to higher Google rankings, they are a strong contributing factor. (Want to learn more about how to manage online reviews, check out our recent webinar!)

Now it’s time to act! You know why you need both a website and Facebook page. Don’t have both? What are you waiting for? Have them but not sure they’re doing what they should to grow your business? Give us a shout!